Interview Dated 2005
 

Jose Gutierrez

Jose "Topita" Gutierrez is one of Houston's most popular new pro boxers. Accompanied by a mariachi band as he enters the ring, the 31-year-old native of Mexico City has a record of 5-3 with three knockouts. He recently switched trainers and is now working with the well-known Gary Simon. I spoke with him, through his wife Beatriz as an interpreter, after a recent workout.

HBS - When did you come to the United States and how did that happen?

JG - In 1997. I came over here because he had more opportunities as a boxer here.

HBS - How did you first get started and involved in boxing?

JG - One of my cousins had them form a group of all of the guys that used to hang around, we formed a boxing group and that's how I got involved. I was 13 years old.

HBS - Tell us about your amateur career.

JG - I did 50 amateur fights. I won second place in the Golden Gloves. I did a lot of the street fighting in Mexico City as an amateur fighter is where I got a lot of experience and at the age of 13 was when I started, all the way up until I was 19 and he was on and off as an amateur.

HBS - What do you like about the sport?

JG - It's just a sport that I have it in my blood, my family, my grandfather who also boxed amateur and I always liked watching Julio Cesar Chavez fight, who was my idol, and it was just something I had in my blood.

HBS - Where does the name Topita come from?

JG - The name Topita comes from my grandfather, was a man that used to go into a place called Tepite, which was not his home town, and every time he went in there he would confront other people from that city and Topita is just a nickname of Topa. Topa means when you confront anybody and so they called my grandfather. And so me being younger, I took the name of Topita, which normally when they ask me it's just that I confront anybody.

HBS - You just turned pro in 2004. Why did you turn pro relatively late in life?

JG - Because I didn't have the right communication, the right people to guide me in the right direction.

HBS - So you knocked out your first two opponents. Tell us about those fights.

JG - On my first fight, I prepared very well. I took about maybe six months to prepare for that fight. I didn't go with the intentions of knocking out. I went to fight a fight and the knockout came with it. But I prepared myself to prove that I am a good fighter, and the skills that I have and by doing that, my first knockout, it opened the doors for a lot of people to see what I had.

HBS - You became 5-0 and then you had a setback in June of this year. What happened in that fight?

JG - That fight I didn't prepare as well as I should have. I had a couple of personal problems. I was going to cancel the fight but I wasn't able to. They didn't let me due to the fact that I already had it signed and basically it was because I didn't prepare the way I should have.

HBS - Then you recently lost what was ruled a technical decision in Dallas. What happened there?

JG - I didn't fight my weight class. I was going up against a heavier fighter. Basically I did win that fight. That fight was stolen from me. They stopped the fight in the sixth round by a cut. I cut my opponent. After they told me that I won they come back and they say "We have to go to the scorecards because you headbutted the guy", which I never headbutted the guy. I know I won that fight and they took it from me.

HBS - Between the fight in June and the fight recently in Dallas you switched trainers. Why did you do that and how is it different now training?

JG - With Willie Boyd, Willie was trying to change my technique that I've had since I started boxing. I've always been a slugger and Woody wanted to make me a boxer, which somebody that's actually being a slugger, going in and fighting different for the past 12 or 13 years, and try to change him in a year, there's no way. I couldn't make that change, just like you write with your right hand all the time and all of a sudden they want you to change to write with the left from one night to the next and it can't happen. And Willie wanted to make me a boxer. I never changed that technique. He never made me be the way he wanted me, which it really didn't work out and now with me trading trainers and working with Gary, Gary is letting me fight the way I like to fight, which makes me feel good. I likes my corner, I'm happy with the people that are working with me and it looks like everything's going the way I want it to go.

HBS - What skills or techniques have you been working on lately?

JG - Technically I haven't made a big change. There's only been a couple of things that I've added. I'm fighting the way I like to fight, basically slugging, the way I like to go in and do what I have to do. I'm going in to fight a fight. I'm not going in to try to, you know, feel what does the other fighter have. No, I'm going in to make the other fighter fight my fight. What I'm adding in my technique now is doing more of an upper right and a lot of hooks, right hooks, body punches, using more of my shoulders, more technique, more pressure and Gary is showing me a lot on that.

HBS - Do you ever get nervous knowing your wife and young daughter are ringside at your fights?

JG - I like for them to be there because they transmit a good positive energy that makes me have a reason to fight, for my daughter to be proud of her dad when she gets older and her being there she's my good luck charm.

HBS - What's coming up?

JG - I'm just training hard, staying in the gym, always prepared. This past weekend they had called me and I wanted to go to Mississippi but because I wasn't feeling well I couldn't take the fight. I'm always in the gym making sure that I'm at weight and making sure that if something comes up I'm there. Just a couple of weeks ago I was sparring with Juan Diaz, because I had been helping Juan Diaz get prepared for his title fight, which was a very, very good sparring session because it really helped me out. In the future I wants to fight more and I want to fight for at least a Texas title. I wants to prepare to fight for a Texas title.